JOHN 7:19-23
19 "Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?" 20 The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?" 21 Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 "Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 "If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?
The LORD time and time again did things on the Sabbath that were not unlawful but only went against the traditions that the Jewish leadership built up around the Law of GOD (MATT 12:1-12; MARK 3:1-6; LUKE 13:10-17; JOHN 5:1-16).
After the LORD Jesus healed the lame man who waited at the pool of Bethesda, the Jewish leadership condemned Him for “working on the Sabbath” when He actually did no such thing, because it was GOD working (in His holy flesh; JOHN 1:1-3,14), not man for whom the Sabbath was made, and not vice versa!
The real Law Breakers were these religious hypocrites who held hate in their hearts towards the Holy One of Israel (and thus, committed ‘internal murder’ as it were; MATT 5:22; 1 JOHN 3:15) even though they denied any such intention (vs. 20).
The LORD, the Righteous Branch (JER 23:5) offended these religious leaders whose hearts were just as dark as the people of the fallen human race and because of their hatred of the Light of GOD’s Truth, they sought to kill the LORD – just as they’ve martyred all of GOD’s saints throughout the course of history, and more recently, Charlie Kirk.
The LORD points out that these Jewish leaders don’t even live up to their own traditions; on the Sabbath, they will perform the work of circumcision and not feel in any way condemned. Yet when the LORD healed a lame man, when He touched a poor widow who was bound by an evil spirit, when He healed another man with a paralyzed arm – all on the Sabbath Day – He was condemned.
That’s how it always is when the righteous are persecuted by the religious, as far back as when religious Cain slew righteous Abel.
These Law Breakers, who feigned themselves to be Law Keepers completely missed the point of the Law:
1 TIMOTHY 1:8-10
8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,
There were those who were “blameless concerning the law” – like Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist (LUKE 1:6) and Saul of Tarsus (PHIL 3:6). Does that mean that they were without sin? That by the Law they were made righteous? No – it just means that they used the Law “lawfully”, that is, they did their best to live by the Law and when they sinned (hamartia – fell short, missed the mark), they offered up the prescribed sacrificial animals that covered (but didn’t wash away) their sin – only the blood of Christ the Lamb of GOD can do that (HEB 10:1-10). They were accounted as righteous as is possible, to the highest level that the Law could provide.
Yet even apostle Paul abandoned this means, embracing the righteousness given in the Person of Christ as exceedingly superior!
PHILIPPIANS 3:4-9
4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith…
Instead we as born again disciples of Christ live according to “the newness of the Spirit” and follow the Law of Christ, the Law of the Spirit rather than the Mosaic Law given to Israel. This means that we don’t observe the more than 600 Laws of the Old Testament with all of its feasts, and civil laws, and even the moral laws are not followed by the New Testament saint by their own human powers of will and morality, but by the power of the Spirit that alone enables us to walk in holiness! See ROMANS 7:4-14; 8:1-4; GAL 5:18.
ROMANS 3:19-26
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
The truth of the matter is that we are all Law Breakers (ROM 3:10-12), none can prove themselves to have a goodness equal to that of GOD, nor possess the righteousness that GOD demands in order for any to approach Him and have fellowship with Him.
This is precisely why the LORD offers us His own righteousness, clothes us with it like a robe (ISA 61:10) and in exchange took upon Himself the sins of us all (ISA 53:4-6). See also 2 COR 5:20-21.
This is the Gospel! This is what true preachers of the Gospel expound upon! This is the pure, and only acceptable, legitimate Gospel that compels us to reject all imitations!
If any seek to approach GOD in their own righteousness, they’re in for a terrible, nightmarish disappointment, because our own righteousness, let alone our sins which are more than enough to condemn us, is as filthy, putrid, rotten, offensive rags!
ISAIAH 64:6-7
6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. 7 And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us and have consumed us because of our iniquities. See also: ROM 7:7; GAL 2:16; 3:11; EPH 2:8-9; TITUS 3:5.
For more on this, check out the TTUF article ALTAR OF THE ALMIGHTY (A link to Part TWO is contained in Part ONE).
No comments:
Post a Comment